Log In My Account Join Upgrade Premium VIP Beta Tester Free Trial
Menu Search Join VIP Beta Tester Premium
 

Home ❯ Songs ❯ Johnny Cash ❯

I Walk the Line

by Johnny Cash • Lesson #6 • Nov 17, 2013

Editor’s Notes

In this lesson I’ll teach you how to play the Johnny Cash classic I Walk The Line, which was originally released in 1956. My tutorial is based on a solo acoustic guitar approach, which lets you capture the sound of the recorded album version all by yourself. I have two videos… a newer one (lesson #262) which focuses entirely on the intro riff, in addition to an older one (lesson #6) where I briefly explain how to play the entire song. My print-friendly song sheet includes tabs/notes/lyrics/chords to account for both of these video lessons.

Intro Tutorial (Lesson #262)

Timestamps:

  • 0:00 Lesson overview
  • 2:19 Variation 1: bass notes only
  • 13:26 Variation 2: adding simple chord strums
  • 21:27 Variation 3: adding muted “boom-chicka” strumming
  • 25:18 Farewell

Full Song Tutorial (Lesson #6)

Licensed Song Sheet 5 pages

Follow along with my print-friendly guide for this song! It’s available for purchase at Musicnotes.com, the web’s leading provider of licensed sheet music.

On the fence? Here's a guide I made showing the purchase & print process, including answers to common questions about my song sheets.

Buy at Musicnotes.com

Save 50% on this song sheet by applying the February 2025 code at Musicnotes checkout: NSPD54LH8U (click to copy). Thanks for being a Premium supporter!

Song Notes Premium includes a 50% discount code you can use when buying any of my licensed song sheets. For the current month's code, upgrade to premium or log in.

Notes and tabs

Capo 1st Fret, Standard Tuning

To play this song along with the Johnny Cash album recording, put a capo on the 1st fret. If playing along doesn’t matter to you, you can play it without a capo (using the chords shown here) just fine.

Guitar Chords Used

Here are the chords you’ll need to play this song. These are all quite common open chords, with the B7 being the most rare of the bunch. Don’t let the B7 scare you off! It is a useful chord to have in your repertoire.

e-|---0---2---0---2----3---
B-|---2---3---0---0----0---
G-|---2---2---1---2----0---
D-|---2---0---2---1----0---
A-|---0-------2---2----2---
E-|-----------0--------3---
      A   D   E   B7   G

Basic strum pattern

The key to this song, as well as most of Johnny Cash’s tunes with his characteristic boom-chicka-boom-chicka sound, is understanding the strumming pattern. Specifically, how the alternating bassline is employed with each chord played. The basic idea is to (1) strum the chord’s bassnote once, (2) play a down-up strum of the chord, (3) play a lower/higher bassnote of the same chord, (4) play a down-up strum of the chord.

Here’s how you would do this with the A chord. Note, this shows a bassnote that alternates between the 5th string and the 6th string.

e-|---0---|----------------------------------------------------
B-|---2---|----------------------------------------------------
G-|---2---|------2-2-----2-2-----2-2-----2-2-----2-2-----2-2---
D-|---2---|------2-2-----2-2-----2-2-----2-2-----2-2-----2-2--- etc
A-|---0---|---0---------------0---------------0----------------
E-|-------|-----------0---------------0---------------0--------
      A

For some chords, you may want to move the bassnote up instead of down. Take B7 for example: here, I alternate between the 5th and 4th string for the bassnote.

e-|---2---|----------------------------------------------------
B-|---0---|------0-0-----0-0-----0-0-----0-0-----0-0-----0-0---
G-|---2---|------2-2-----2-2-----2-2-----2-2-----2-2-----2-2---
D-|---1---|-----------1---------------1---------------1-------- etc
A-|---2---|---2---------------0---------------0----------------
E-|-------|----------------------------------------------------
      B7

You can employ this technique for every chord using this basic approach.

Intro Tab

Here is the tab to the intro of this song. If your goal is to memorize this and play it note-for-note, I strongly recommend learning the bassline separately from the chord strumming. Once you have one mastered, move to the other. Doing both at the same time may be tricky.

See PDF for tab.

Transition Between Verses

Here are the tabs for the transition between each verse, where the song in fact changes key. After you walk up/down to the new chord, stay on that chord as long as you like. This is where Johnny Cash will do the “Hmmmmmm…” vocal, which helps establish the new key in which he is about to play.

From E up to A:

e-|---0---------------|--------------------------------------------------
B-|---0---------------|--------------------------------------------------
G-|---1---------------|-----2-2-----2-2-----2-2-----2-2-----2-2-----2-2--
D-|---2---------------|-----2-2-----2-2-----2-2-----2-2-----2-2-----2-2-- etc
A-|---2---------------|--0---------------0---------------0---------------
E-|---0------0--2--4--|----------0---------------0---------------0-------
      E                  A

From A up to D:

e-|---0---------------|--------------------------------------------------
B-|---2---------------|-----3-3-----3-3-----3-3-----3-3-----3-3-----3-3--
G-|---2---------------|-----2-2-----2-2-----2-2-----2-2-----2-2-----2-2--
D-|---2---------------|--0---------------0---------------0--------------- etc
A-|---0------0--2--4--|----------0---------------0---------------0-------
E-|-------------------|--------------------------------------------------
      A                  D

From D down to A:

e-|---2---------------|--------------------------------------------------
B-|---3---------------|--------------------------------------------------
G-|---2---------------|-----2-2-----2-2-----2-2-----2-2-----2-2-----2-2--
D-|---0------0--------|-----2-2-----2-2-----2-2-----2-2-----2-2-----2-2-- etc
A-|-------------4--2--|--0---------------0---------------0---------------
E-|-------------------|----------0---------------0---------------0-------
      D                  A

From A down to E:

e-|---0---------------|--------------------------------------------------
B-|---2---------------|--------------------------------------------------
G-|---2---------------|-----1-1-----1-1-----1-1-----1-1-----1-1-----1-1--
D-|---2---------------|-----2-2-----2-2-----2-2-----2-2-----2-2-----2-2-- etc
A-|---0------0--------|----------2---------------2---------------2-------
E-|-------------4--2--|--0---------------0---------------0---------------
      A                  E

Chord progressions

See PDF for chord progression diagram.

Unlock My Secret Stash!

Gain instant access to my library of 262 print-friendly cheat sheets! Also includes my extended video lessons, jam tracks, courses, and more.

Join Song Notes Premium

Have questions? Watch video tour »

Browse Related Lessons

Click any tag below to view other lessons I've made in that category:

Enjoy My Lessons? Show Your Support!

Most of the lessons on my website are 100% free. If you have the means, please show your support with a tip jar contribution. I put many hours into every lesson — but it only takes you a minute to make a donation. You have my thanks!

Donate

Looking for More Song Lessons?

Recently Added
Most Popular
Beginner-Friendly
Browse by Artist
Browse by Song Title
Browse by Song Year

Featured Courses

Strumming & Rhythm

While your left hand is busy learning chords, your right hand has its own job: creating a sense of rhythm with strumming! This can be tricky at first, but there's so much fun-to-be-had once you get over the hump. Here's a guide to get you started.

17 lessons

View

Fingerstyle & Travis Picking

Dive into the basics of fingerstyle guitar, with plenty of examples of riffs, exercises, and songs that put this technique to use. This includes a healthy serving of Travis Picking lessons, which feature an alternating bass note played with your right thumb.

31 lessons

View

Blues Starter Kit

A guide to must-know elements of beginner blues guitar! I'll walk you through the essential topics, showing you fun things to play along the way.

18 lessons

View

Reading Music for Guitarists

Learn to read tabs, chord charts, fretboard diagrams, strumming patterns, and more! This course explains how to understand all of these must-know notation styles.

6 lessons

View

Learning Lead Guitar

A collection of videos teaching you licks, riffs, solos, and other lead guitar techniques! Includes info on scales, CAGED shapes, and other helpful lead guitar concepts.

24 lessons

View

Beginner Chord Guide

A guide to the must-know chords you'll need when getting started with guitar! The quickest way to learn major chords, minor chords, the chords in each key, and more.

22 lessons

View

Practical Music Theory

A general overview of must-know theory concepts. The goal here is practical, easy-to-understand explanations — all of which provide clarity to your everyday guitar playing.

12 lessons

View

Using a Capo

Capos are incredibly helpful if you want to play along with your favorite artist, change a song's key, adjust things to your vocal range, and so on. In this series of videos I explain all this & more!

8 lessons

View

Walk Ups & Walk Downs

A very common trope in rock, country, and folk music involves walking bass lines that "connect" one chord to another. I've used this in many of my song lessons, and I'm happy to share this list of related lessons if you'd like to brush up on this technique.

10 lessons

View

CAGED Essentials

Learn about the repeating pattern of shapes on the fretboard, named after the five open chord shapes (C-A-G-E-D). Each shape can be used to play a chord, arpeggio, pentatonic or diatonic scale in every key... which makes them worth knowing!

6 lessons

View

Fun & Helpful Tools I've Made

Fret Monster

Interactive fretboard map! See the patterns behind every scale in any key.

View

Capo Captain

An easy way to calculate key & chord combinations, for any capo location!

View

Key Master

See and hear the notes, chords, scales used in each of the most common keys.

View

Blank Tabs

Free PDF templates to download, print, and write out your own guitar tabs!

View

Coming soon is Jambox – which shows all the video jam tracks I've made. It's note quite ready for the spotlight, but check it out if you like!

Subscribe to my YouTube channel

Be sure to never miss a lesson by subscribing on YouTube. I put out 2-3 new videos every week. These include full song lessons, as well as covers, practice tips, behind-the-scenes updates. Thanks!

Recent Lessons

  • Feb 12, 2025

    "Handle with Care" by Traveling Wilburys

    Let's dive into this 1988 classic from the late-1980s supergroup featuring George Harrison, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, and Roy Orbison. So fun to play!

  • Feb 5, 2025

    Strumming Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind"

    I've updated my "Blowin' in the Wind" lesson with two zoomed playthrough videos, showing how to strum the verse & chorus (with and without bass-note strumming). Updated practice notes too!

  • Feb 4, 2025

    Tom T. Hall's Classic Country Riff

    I've updated my lesson for "The Year That Clayton Delaney Died" with new practice notes and three zoomed playthrough videos! The intro riff for this song is an absolute killer.

  • January 29, 2025

    "Third Coast" by Larry Joe Taylor

    Let's dive into this campfire-friendly fan-favorite by LJT! I'll teach it in two different keys, and show a few different ways to use strummy walk-downs to spice up the 8 measure progression.

  • January 28, 2025

    Strummy Walkdowns in Key of G!

    Let's learn how to combine strumming with melodic walkdowns when swithcing from D to G. I'll walk you through 3 common ways this is done, each of which sounds great and is fun to play.

  • January 22, 2025

    "Let Him Roll" by Guy Clark – Updated!

    I've added practice notes for this Guy Clark classic, as well as a few play-along practice videos to help you learn the fingerpicking sequence! Check 'em out.

  • January 15, 2025

    Guitarist's Guide to YouTube Keyboard Shortcuts

    If you watchs video lesson and rely on your mouse & cursor to pause and rewind YouTube, you're doing it wrong! Learn these must-know keyboard shortcuts that save you a ton of time, helping you learn guitar much faster.

  • January 9, 2025

    "Mr. Tambourine Man" by Bob Dylan

    Let's look at Dylan's 1964 classic, which is a terrific 3-chord song for beginners. I'll also show some intermediate techniques you can use to spice up the chords and utilize Drop-D tuning.

Browse All Recent Lessons →

← back to homepage